CHAPTER

30The Age ofDiscovery1300 A.D.–1620 A.D.

1487Dias rounds the

tip of Africa

1492Columbus reaches

the Americas

1498Vasco da Gamareaches India

1494Treaty of

Tordesillas

1519Magellan beginsjourney across

the Pacific

1521Hernando Cortésinvades Mexico

UNIT 9 BEGINNING OF MODERN TIMES466

Portuguese explorer �

as cast in bronze by a West African artist

� Ocean-going ship onbowl from Portugal

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Terms to Learncompassastrolabecaravelmutinypapal line of

demarcationconquistadoressea dogs

People to KnowHenry the

NavigatorVasco da GamaChristopher

ColumbusPonce de LeónFerdinand

Magellan

Places to LocateCape of Good

HopeSt. Lawrence

RiverHudson River

SECTION 1 The PortugueseThe desire for new trade routes led to a great age of

exploration in the 1400s. Information from such early explorersas Marco Polo was very helpful. The Portuguese were among thefirst to travel beyond the Mediterranean Sea. The accomplishmentsof Prince Henry the Navigator and the discoveries of BartolomeuDias (bahr thol’ uh myu de ahs) and Vasco da Gama (vas’ ko duhgah’ muh) opened the way for later explorations.

Why It’s Important By the 1500s, Italy controlled Europe’strade with India and other parts of Asia. To break the Italianhold on trade, other European nations began to search for anall-water route to the east. They hoped their journeys wouldenrich their countries and spread Christianity.

A number of developments—such as more accurate maps,improved ships, and better navigation instruments—aidedEuropean explorers. One instrument was the compass, whichhas a magnetic needle that always points north. Another wasthe astrolabe (as’ tro lab), which measures the angle of thestars and helps sailors find latitude. The journeys of Europeanexplorers changed world history forever.

Chapter FocusRead to Discover

• Why the Europeans searched for a direct sea route to Asia.• What Portuguese explorers accomplished.• How explorers financed by Spain sailed to the Americas

and beyond.• How the search for a northwest passage affected the

history of the Americas.

467CHAPTER 30 THE AGE OF DISCOVERY

Chapter OverviewVisit the Human Heritage Web siteat humanheritage.glencoe.comand click on Chapter 30—Chapter Overviews to previewthis chapter.

Reading Check How did the

compass and theastrolabe help explor-ers chart direction?

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468 UNIT 9 BEGINNING OF MODERN TIMES

Prince Henry Prince Henry the Navigator, son of the kingof Portugal, had heard from African merchants about discoveriesof gold there. Europe’s supplies of bullion (bul’ yuhn), or goldand silver for making coins, were running out. Prince Henrybecame eager for Portuguese sailors to explore the west coast ofAfrica. He also hoped they would find a new route to the FarEast. He saw this as a way to extend Portugal’s trade and power.The demand for spices such as ginger, cloves, and pepper, whichhe could obtain there, was great.

In the early 1400s, Henry set up the first European school fornavigators in Sagres (sag’ resh), Portugal. Prince Henry was fas-cinated by all information concerning sailing, navigation, andastronomy. Although he never sailed on a single ocean voyagehimself, Henry organized a way for others to learn the mostskilled way to sail. He gathered together Portuguese, Spanish,Jewish, Arab, and Italian mathematicians, chartmakers,astronomers, and sea captains. They taught Portuguese sailors allthey knew and helped Henry make better charts, improve navi-gational instruments, and put together more detailed astronomi-cal tables.

At the same time, Henry worked with others to design andbuild better ships. The result was the Portuguese caravel (kar’ uhvel). It combined the heavy, square-rigged European ship

Reading Check What improve-

ments did the caravelbring to sailing?

Maps Mapmakers often went on voyages of explorationso they could draw more accurate maps of the world,such as this map of Africa (below). In 1972 the UnitedStates launched its first Landsat, or land satellite, to beamback even more accurate maps of the earth, such as thisimage of Africa and the Indian Ocean (right). What coun-try took the lead in exploration in the early 1400s?

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469CHAPTER 30 THE AGE OF DISCOVERY

with the light, slim Arab one to produce a ship that was fasterand easier to handle.

Henry sent parties of explorers south along Africa’s westcoast. There, they discovered the Gold Coast and Cape Verde(vuhr’ de), as well as the Azores (a’ zorz), Madeira (muh dir’uh), and Canary Islands. These islands were used as supply sta-tions for further explorations.

In Africa, the Portuguese explorers found gold dust, ivory,and people whom they enslaved. Some explorers soon began totake more interest in trade than in discovery. Trading forts wereset up along the west coast of Africa and contacts were estab-lished with African leaders. This trade brought new wealth toPortugal, and Henry saw his country become powerful. When hedied in 1460, however, Portuguese caravels had gone only part ofthe way down the west coast of Africa.

Bartolomeu Dias Exploration went on after Prince Hen-ry’s death, but more slowly. In 1473, the Equator was crossed.Europeans discovered that the sea did not boil and was not the

PRINCE HENRY THE NAVIGATOR Prince Henry’s school for navigatorshelped make possible the great new discoveries of lands and water routes in the 1400s.In this painting Henry watches for his ships to return. Why did Prince Henry hope tofind a new route to the Far East?

Student Web ActivityVisit the Human Heritage Web site athumanheritage.glencoe.comand click on Chapter 30—Student Web Activities to findout more about Prince Henry theNavigator.

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470

home of great monsters as had once been believed. Graduallyand carefully, Portuguese explorers made their way south alongthe African coast.

In 1487, Bartolomeu Dias readied ships for a long, hardvoyage. Included for the first time was a supply ship with enoughwater and food for an extended trip. Dias touched at severalpoints on Africa’s west coast before strong winds blew himsouthward. After the storm ended, Dias went on to reach Africa’seast coast, without knowing his ships had been blown around thetip of the continent. On the return home, Dias named what henow knew to be the southern tip of Africa the Cape of Storms. Theking of Portugal later renamed it the Cape of Good Hope becausethe Portuguese now knew they could reach the Far East by sailingaround Africa.

Vasco da Gama In the summer of 1497, a Portuguese noblenamed Vasco da Gama led a convoy (kon’ voi), or group, of fourships down the Tagus (ta’ guhs) River from Lisbon, Portugal. Theships had been designed by Bartolomeu Dias. Dias, in fact,accompanied da Gama as far as Cape Verde. Da Gama had ordersfrom the king to “proclaim the Christian faith” and to “wrestkingdoms and new states from the hands of the barbarians.”

After four months at sea, da Gama’s convoy rounded theCape of Good Hope. By then, many of the crew were sick. Theirwater smelled, and their food was spoiling. Still, the convoycontinued on, sailing north along the east coast of Africa towardthe island of Mozambique (mo zam bek’). This island was a Mus-lim trading center. There, the Portuguese sailors saw shipsloaded with cargoes of cloves, pepper, gold, silver, pearls, andprecious stones. For the first time, they saw a coconut, which theydescribed as “fruit as large as a melon, of which the kernel iseaten.” When the Muslims found out that da Gama and his partywere Christians, they forced the Europeans to leave.

The next stop was Malindi (mahl in’ de) in present-dayKenya. There, the crew took on supplies and learned to makerope from coconut fiber. The king of Malindi sent da Gama anArab pilot to lead him to his final destination of Calicut (kal’ ikuht), a port and trading center on the southwest coast of India.

On May 20, 1498, da Gama’s ships landed at Calicut. Hisarrival alarmed the Arab and Persian merchants there. Theyfeared that Portugal would take over the trade between Africaand India. An attempt was made to kill da Gama. In August, daGama decided to leave. He and his crew loaded what spices theycould and started home.

The trip back to Lisbon took 11 months for one ship and 13months for the ship that da Gama was sailing. During that time,the convoy was threatened by storms, and many of the men diedof scurvy (sker’ ve), a disease caused by the lack of vitamin C.

UNIT 9 BEGINNING OF MODERN TIMES

Painting of Vasco da Gama

Goa Goa, on the south-west coast of India, was aPortuguese colony from1510 until 1961, when itbecame part of India.Catholic and Hindu tradi-tions blended there. Todaythe people of Goa celebratefestivals such as Carnivalin much the same way aspeople in Brazil, also oncea Portuguese colony.

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471

When the ships finally reached Lisbon in 1499, da Gama wasgreeted with great rejoicing and rewards. His voyage opened theway for later explorations and for an era of increased trade. Beforelong, Lisbon became one of the major trading centers of Europe.

CHAPTER 30 THE AGE OF DISCOVERY

The Spanish were as interested as the Portuguese in thewealth that could be obtained from India and the Far East. Untilthe late 1400s, however, they were too busy trying to gain theirfreedom from the Moors. By 1492, Spain had become a Christiancountry united under King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. It wasnow ready to enter the race for new trade routes.

Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus, the sonof a weaver, was a skilled navigator from Genoa (jen’ uh wuh),Italy. Like most educated people of his time, Columbus believedthe world was round, not flat. Therefore, he believed he couldreach Asia by sailing west. He tried for eight years to convincerulers from different nations to finance an expedition. ThePortuguese, French, and English monarchs all turned him down.Finally, in 1492, Queen Isabella of Spain agreed to support hisplan, the enterprise (en’ tuhr prız) of the Indies.

Columbus set sail from Spain in August, 1492, with threesmall ships—the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria—and a crewof about 90 sailors. At first, the voyage went well. The longerthey were at sea, however, the more afraid Columbus’s crewbecame. They urged their captain to turn back. When he refused,

Painting of Santa Maria

Section 1 Assessment1. Define: compass, astrolabe, caravel.2. Why was Dias’s trip important?3. What were the results of da Gama’s

voyage to India?

Critical Thinking4. Predicting Consequences How do

you think the lives of African Ameri-cans today might be different if Prince

Henry the Navigator had not sentexplorers to West Africa?

Graphic Organizer Activity5. Draw this diagram, and use it the show

the accomplishments of Portugueseleaders in exploration.

Accomplishments

Dias daGama

PrinceHenry

SECTION 2 The Spanish

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472 UNIT 9 BEGINNING OF MODERN TIMES

they threatened mutiny (myut’ ne), or an overthrow of officers.Columbus then promised to turn back if land was not sightedwithin three days. The night of the second day, a lookout on thePinta spotted land. In the morning, Columbus landed at an outerisland in the Bahamas (buh hah’ muhs), probably Watling Island.Because he thought he had reached the Indies, Columbus calledthe people living on the islands Indians. For this reason, NativeAmericans are sometimes referred to as Indians.

Columbus spent several months sailing around the Bahamas,Cuba, and Hispaniola (his puhn yo’ luh), an island that todayconsists of Haiti (ha’ te) and the Dominican Republic. In Cuba, hefound Native Americans smoking cigars. This was the firstEuropean contact with tobacco.

On Christmas Eve, the Santa Maria ran aground on a reefand was wrecked. Columbus had his crew use the wood fromthe Santa Maria to build a fort. This was the first European settle-ment in the Americas.

In January 1493, Columbus boarded the Nina and headedback to Spain. He took with him gold, parrots, cotton, otherplants and animals, and a few Native Americans. In Spain, he was

CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS Upon his return from the Americas, Columbuswas greeted as a hero. In this painting he is being received by King Ferdinand andQueen Isabella. At the bottom of the steps are Native Americans and riches from theAmericas. What did Columbus hope to prove by sailing westward to Asia?

Reading Check Why did Colum-

bus’s crew threatenmutiny?

Looking to the Sea Columbus’s interest in sea-faring may have beenshaped by the geographyof his birthplace, theRepublic of Genoa. Sincethe city lacked fertile landand was surrounded bypowerful rival cities likeMilan and Florence, manyGenoans looked to theMediterranean Sea to findtheir fortunes.

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473CHAPTER 30 THE AGE OF DISCOVERY

received with great honors. Six months later, he was leading afleet of 17 ships and 1,500 men on another search for Asia.

Columbus made four voyages in all. He explored the coasts ofVenezuela and Central America. He returned from his last voyagein 1504. Two years later, he died still convinced he had found theway to Asia. He never realized he had explored the Americas.

The Treaty of Tordesillas The Spanish monarchs wereworried that Portugal might try to take from Spain the richesColumbus had discovered. So, they asked Pope Alexander VI forhelp.

In 1493, the Pope drew a papal line of demarcation (de mahrka’ shuhn), or an imaginary line from the North Pole to the SouthPole, some 300 miles, or 480 kilometers, west of the AzoresIslands. Spain was to have the non-Christian lands west of theline, and Portugal the non-Christian lands east of the line.

The Portuguese, however, did not like the way the landswere divided. They protested and called for a meeting. In 1494,the Treaty of Tordesillas (tord uh se’ yuhs) was drawn up. Itmoved the line about 500 miles, or 800 kilometers, farther west.Because of this, Portugal was able to claim Brazil.

Other countries, like England, France, and the Netherlands,paid no attention to the Pope’s rulings. They explored andclaimed land where they wished.

The Conquistadores The Spanish were eager to learnmore about their new possessions. Over the next few years,Spanish conquistadores (kon ke stuh dor’ az), or conquerors, setout to find the gold Columbus had talked about and to explorenew lands.

In 1513, Ponce de León (pahn’ suh de le on’) sailed northfrom the island of Puerto Rico (pwer’ to re’ ko) to explore Flori-da. That same year, Vasco Núnez de Balboa (vas’ ko nu’ nyathda bal bo’ uh) crossed the isthmus of Panama and became thefirst European to see the Great South Sea. Between 1519 and1521, Hernando Cortés (her nan’ do kor tes’) invaded Mexico.With the help of guns and the spread of smallpox, he destroyedthe Native American empire ruled by the Aztec king Montezu-ma. Cortés and his troops took large amounts of gold from theNative Americans to send back to Spain.

In 1532, Francisco Pizarro (fran sis’ ko puh zahr’ o) invadedPeru. Within five years, he conquered the Inca Empire. LikeCortés, Pizarro took great treasures of gold and silver from theNative Americans. Pizarro and his men then headed for thecoast, where they built Lima (le’ muh), the “City of Kings.”

In 1539, Hernando de Soto (duh so’ to) sailed from Cuba toFlorida and explored westward from there. He found no goldbut explored the Mississippi River. In 1540, Francisco Coronado

Seeds Across the SeaDid you have orange juicefor breakfast? If you did, itmay be because of Colum-bus’s second voyage to theAmericas in 1493. Thecitrus seeds that hebrought to the West Indiestook root in the islands andlater were grown in Mexicoand Florida.

Reading Check What was the

papal line of demarcation?

Reading Check Who were the

conquistadores?

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474 UNIT 9 BEGINNING OF MODERN TIMES

Ferdinand MagellanC. 1480–1521

Portuguese NavigatorBorn a noble, Magel-lan sailed on early Por-tuguese voyages toIndia. However, whenhe sought permissionto look for a new west-ern route to thisregion, Portugueserulers turned himdown. He moved toSpain, where hereceived funding forhis voyage. Sailing asa Spanish citizen,Magellan charted ajourney that provedwhat the Greeks hadguessed—that theworld was round andthat the continents ofthe earth were linkedby bodies of water.

(kor uh nahd’ o) led an army overland from Mexico into thepresent-day United States. He reached the Grand Canyon butreturned without finding any treasure. Thus, between 1492 and1550, Spain explored an area from North America through Cen-tral America and the West Indies to South America.

Ferdinand Magellan In 1517, Portugal controlled theeastern route to the Indies. As a result, Portugal was growing rich.This angered the Spanish king. So, when a Portuguese explorernamed Ferdinand Magellan (muh jel’ uhn) offered to find Spaina western route to the Indies, the king accepted the offer. Hewanted Spain to become as wealthy as Portugal.

In 1519, Magellan set sail from Spain. He commanded a fleetof five ships and a crew of 256. In October of the following year, hesailed through a stormy strait at the tip of South America. The triptook one month. Today, the strait bears Magellan’s name.

From the strait, Magellan sailed on into the Great South Sea.He renamed it the Pacific Ocean from the Spanish word pacifico,meaning peaceful. By this time, Magellan had lost two of hisships. He continued on, however. Conditions were terrible. Thedrinking water was spoiled, and the biscuits were full of worms.The crew was forced to eat rats, sawdust from ship boards, andleather soaked in the sea and grilled on wood coals. By the timethe fleet reached the Mariana (mar e an’ uh) Islands three months

PONCE DE LEÓN While governing Puerto Rico, Ponce de León heard storiesof an island to the north that held great riches. Setting out to find this island, Ponce deLeón discovered Florida instead. He is shown in this painting landing on the Floridacoast. From which two Native American civilizations did the Spaniards acquiremuch gold?

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Legends, as explained in the mapskill on page 75, are used to identifyinformation shown on maps. Legendsprovide the key to the meaning of anunlimited number of symbols and colorsthat can be used on maps.

Sometimes, however, one legendmay be used in several ways. For exam-ple, on the “European Voyages of Dis-covery” map below, five colors are usedin the legend. On this particular map,these colors are used to show two differ-ent things. First, they point out the fiveEuropean countries that took part inthe voyages of discovery. Second, thecolors show the different routes taken

by explorersfrom thesecountries.For example,Portugal isshown in yellow. The routes that thePortuguese explorers took are alsoshown in yellow.

Reviewing Map Legends

Map Practice1. What two countries had explor-

ers sail around the world?2. What country did not send any

explorers south of 25°N latitude?

475

European Voyages of Discovery

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476

later, it was almost helpless. The crew was suffering from scurvyand had no food of any kind.

After they had eaten and rested, Magellan and his crew set asouthwest course for the Philippine (fil uh pen’) Islands. There,Magellan became involved in a local war and was killed. Shortlyafter, more crew members were killed, and two more ships werelost. The one remaining ship continued on into the Indian Oceanand around Africa. It finally arrived in Seville (suh vil’), Spain, in1522 with 18 men and a load of spices.

The voyage was a great accomplishment. By circumnavigat-ing, or sailing completely around the world, it proved that Earthis indeed round. The voyage opened the Pacific Ocean to Euro-pean ships. It also proved that Columbus did not land in Asia butin the Americas.

UNIT 9 BEGINNING OF MODERN TIMES

Painting of Ferdinand Magellan

Even after the Americas were reached, the English, French,and Dutch continued to look for another route to the Far East.Since the Portuguese and the Spanish controlled the southern sealanes, the others looked for a northwest passage.

English merchants persuaded their king to send John Cabot(kab’ uht), an Italian navigator, to the Far East by a northwestroute. In 1497, Cabot set sail with a handful of men. He exploredthe coasts of Newfoundland and Nova Scotia (no’ vuh sko’shuh) and established claims for England in the Americas.

In 1523, the French hired Giovanni da Verrazano (je uhvahn’ e dah ver rah tsah’ no), another Italian navigator, to find a

Section 2 Assessment1. Define: mutiny, papal line of demar-

cation, conquistadores.2. What were some discoveries made by

the Spanish between 1513 and 1540?3. What did Magellan’s voyage prove?

Critical Thinking4. Making Comparisons Which of

Spain’s explorers do you think

advanced knowledge of the world themost? Explain.

Graphic Organizer Activity5. Draw this diagram, and use it to show

some of the effects of Columbus’s voy-ages.

Effect

Effect

Effect

Columbus'sVoyages

SECTION 3 Northwest Passage

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477CHAPTER 30 THE AGE OF DISCOVERY

northwest passage. He sailed along the Atlantic coast fromNorth Carolina to New York. Eleven years later, Jacques Cartier(zhahk kahr tya ’), a French navigator, sailed up the St.Lawrence River as far as present-day Montreal (mahn tre ahl’).This gave the French a claim to eastern Canada.

In 1576, Sir Martin Frobisher (fro’ bi shuhr), an English seadog, or sea captain, sailed the coast of Greenland and fought astorm that almost wrecked one of his three ships. Frobisherfinally discovered the bay that today bears his name.

In 1609, the Dutch sent Henry Hudson, an English navigator,to locate the passage. He explored the Hudson River and sailedto what is today Albany, New York. In 1610 he set out on a sec-ond voyage. He became lost in a storm and was never seenagain. Nevertheless, his first voyage gave the Dutch their claimin the Americas.

Name

Amerigo Vespucci

Pedro Alváres Cabral

Vasco Núnez de Balboa

Alvar Núnez Cabeza de Vaca

Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo

Richard Chancellor

John Davis

Sir Francis Drake

Father Jacques MarquetteLouis Jolliet

Vitus Bering

Country

SpainPortugal

Portugal

Spain

Spain

Spain

England

England

England

France

Russia

Achievements

explored Atlantic coast of SouthAmerica, 1497–1504; one of firstto believe he had reached a newworld

discovered Brazil and sailed eastto India, 1500–1501

first European to sight easternshore of Pacific Ocean, 1513

explored Florida and Gulf regionfrom Texas to Mexico, 1528–36

explored Pacific coast to Drake’sBay near San Francisco, 1542

reached Moscow in search ofnortheast passage to Asia;opened trade with Russia,1553–54

explored west coast of Greenlandin search of northwest passage toAsia, 1585

first Englishman to sail aroundthe world, 1577–80

explored Mississippi Valley tomouth of Arkansas River, 1673

explored coasts of Alaska andnortheast Asia; discovered BeringStrait and Bering Sea, 1728, 1741

EXPLORERS

Reading Check What was an

English sea dog?

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478

All of these voyages failed in their search to find a northwestpassage to the Far East. They did, however, establish claims inthe Americas for England, France, and the Netherlands.

UNIT 9 BEGINNING OF MODERN TIMES

Section 3 Assessment1. Define: sea dog.2. How did English, French, and Dutch

explorers plan to reach Asia?3. What lands in the Americas were

claimed by England? By France? Bythe Netherlands?

Critical Thinking4. Demonstrating Reasoned Judgment

What characteristics or kinds of per-sonalities do you think the English,

French, and Dutch explorers had tohave to achieve what they did?

Graphic Organizer Activity5. Draw this diagram, and use it to show

the causes and effects of the search fora northwest passage.

Causes Search forNorthwest

Passage

Effects

1. During the 1500s, Europeans tried tobreak the Italian hold on trade bysearching for an all-water route toIndia and beyond.

2. The development of better maps,ships, and navigational instrumentshelped Europeans in their search.

3. In the early 1400s, Prince Henry ofPortugal opened the first school inEurope for navigators.

4. By 1473, Portuguese ships had crossedthe equator. By 1498, they had reachedIndia.

5. Between 1492 and 1504, Columbusmade four voyages to what hethought was Asia but was really theAmericas.

6. In 1494, the Treaty of Tordesillasdivided non-Christian lands betweenSpain and Portugal, but other nationsignored the agreement.

7. In the first half of the 1500s, Cortésand Pizarro conquered the Aztec andInca empires, encouraging otherexplorers to search for other empiresin the Americas.

8. Between 1519 and 1522, Magellan’sexpedition sailed around the world,proving that Columbus did not landin Asia.

9. Between 1497 and 1609, England,France, and the Netherlands sentexplorers to find a northwest passagethrough the Americas.

10. Early English, French, and Dutch voy-ages paved the way for future claimsin North America.

Chapter Summary & Study Guide

Self-Check QuizVisit the Human Heritage Web site at humanheritage.glencoe.com and click on Chapter 30—Self-Check Quizto assess your understanding of this chapter.

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Using Key Terms

Imagine you are writing a newspapercolumn entitled “Great Explorer Achieve-ments.” Use each of the following wordsin a description of what you think some ofthese achievements were.

compass astrolabe caravelmutiny papal line of conquistadoressea dog demarcation

Understanding Main Ideas

1. What were some of the problems thatEuropean explorers faced on their voy-ages of discovery?

2. What was the first European settle-ment in the Americas?

3. What are three bodies of water namedafter European explorers?

4. How long did it take Magellan’s shipto sail around the world?

5. What did voyages in search of a north-west passage to Asia accomplish?

Critical Thinking

1. Why do you think Queen Isabella ofSpain agreed to support Columbuswhen others had turned him down?

2. How do you think Native Americansfelt about the conquistadores?

3. How did competition between nationsaffect European voyages of exploration?

Graphic Organizer Activity

History Create a chart like the oneon this page, and use it to write a headlinefor an important event that occurred ineach of the years shown.

Geography in History

The World in Spatial Terms Referto the map on page 475. Whose voyagefrom Portugal to India was longer in miles(or kilometers)—da Gama’s or Cabral’s?How many miles (or kilometers) longerwas it?

Year Headline

1473

1487

1492

1494

1497

1499

1521

1522

1532

1609

AssessmentCHAPTER

479

Using Your Journal

Review any details you may

have noted about the changes

that took place in western

Europe between 1300 and

1600. Imagine you are a peas-

ant living in London, England, in

1550. Write a diary entry

describing what you have

learned about the world in

recent years.

30

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UNIT 9480

9 Around U N I T

¸

THE SWAHILI CULTUREBetween 1000 and 1700 A.D., the

harbor towns of East Africa blossomed.Like other trading centers, they attracteda variety of influences. More than 1,200years ago, Arab traders came to the area,bringing the Muslim religion with them.Other influences came from Persia, India,and China. Later, Portuguese explorersedging their way along the East African

coast brought yet another influence to thearea.

By far the strongest influence, how-ever, was that of the African peoples whoalready lived in the region. The blendingof their cultures with the cultures of otherregions produced the Swahili culture,which is still alive and vibrant today.

Mombasa

Zanzibar Is.

20°E 40°E 50°E

10°S

20°S

0°

10°N

LakeVictoria

INDIANOCEAN

SOMALIA

KENYA

TANZANIA

MADAGASCARMOZAMBIQUE

Malindi

30°E

Mafia Is.

Pemba Is.

Lamu Is.

Kilwa

SofalaAreas ofSwahili culture

0 300

300

600miles

0 600kilometers

Swahili Culture

� The term Swahili comes from an Arab wordmeaning “coastal people.” The Swahili cultureincludes African Muslims who live on Africanislands and lands bordering the Indian Ocean.

� In the early1400s, Chineseexplorer ZhengHe made sever-al voyages toEast Africa. Onhis fourth voy-age, the sultanof Malindi pre-sented him witha giraffe—a giftto the Chineseemperor. TheChinese calledthe giraffe a“celestial uni-corn” and saw it as a sign ofgood luck.

0480-0481-U9-ATW-846240 11/16/02 12:51 AM Page 480

the W rldFrom the 100s to the early 1900s, Swahili merchants useda ship known as the mtepe to sail the coastal waters. Built without nails, the timbers of the boats were heldtogether by rope woven from coconut husks and pow-ered by sails made from the leaves of coconut trees. TheArabs introduced the dhow and its triangular cotton sailto the region around the 800s. Arab dhows can still beseen along the Swahili coast today. �

� Trade goods from China madetheir way to the Swahili coast asearly as the 800s A.D. Pottery, such as thisbowl made during the Ming dynasty, hasbeen uncovered up and down the coast.

Gold coins found on Pemba, an island offthe coast of Kenya, prove that Swahili merchants traded all over the Arab worldin the 1000s. These coins come from Tunisia, Egypt, andSyria. The Swahili townsalso minted their own coins. �

� This present-day market shows theblend of people that make up theSwahili culture and the many goods,particularly spices, that have made theregion famous.

Taking Another Look1. Where are the Swahili peoples located?

2. What evidence proves that Swahili merchantstraded with the Arab world? With China?

Hands-On ActivityWriting Diary Entries Imagine you are a Portuguese ship captain visiting a Swahili townfor the first time. Write several diary entriesdescribing the experience. 481

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1. Which of the following Renaissancecontributions was most helpful inspreading new ideas?

A The creation of piazzas in the center ofcities

B The use of perspective in artists’ workC The invention of the printing pressD The generosity of Lorenzo de Medici

toward artists, poets, and philosphers

2. Leonardo da Vinci was

F a scholar and a Church leaderG an artist, scientist, and inventorH the founder of modern medicineJ a philosopher and historian

3. Why was Martin Luther charged withheresy?

A He worshiped more than one god.B He worked to secure rights for

Spanish Jews.C He declared himself the one true voice

of God.D His theses challenged the Pope and

the Catholic Church.

4. Which of the following was mostresponsible for the spread of theProtestant church through Europe?

F Services were not conducted in Latin,but rather in local languages.

G Women were given a greater role inthe Protestant church.

H Church members could buyindulgences to free themselves frompunishment.

J The Protestant church was recognizedby the Roman Catholic Church.

Standardized Test PracticeDirections: Choose the best answer to each of the followingmultiple choice questions. If you have trouble answering aquestion, use the process of elimination to narrow yourchoices. Write your answers on a separate piece of paper.

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Test-Taking Tip: Always read thequestion and all the answer choices carefully.Notice that all of the answer choices areexamples of Renaissance contributions toEuropean culture. Although Lorenzo deMedici’s generosity (answer D) probablyhelped people create new ideas, there isanother choice that was more helpful inspreading these ideas to many people.

Test-Taking Tip: Eliminate answersthat are incorrect. Leonardo da Vinci was nota Church leader, so answer F can beeliminated.

Test-Taking Tip: This questionrequires you to remember a fact about MartinLuther. Reading all the answer choicescarefully may help you remember informationabout this important religious leader.

Test-Taking Tip: Again, read carefully.Lutheran and Reformed churches were knownas Protestant because they protested againstCatholic ideas, such as the sale of indulgences.Therefore, answer H can be eliminated.

Standardized Test Practice

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5. According to the map above, whichnations’ explorers sailed around theCape of Good Hope?

A Portugal and SpainB Portugal, France, and EnglandC Spain, England, and FranceD Portugal, Spain, and England

6. Which countries had explorers whoseroutes crossed the equator?

F England, Spain, and PortugalG England, Spain, and FranceH Spain, France, and PortugalJ Spain, Portugal, and Holland

SOUTHAMERICA

AFRICA

EUROPEASIA

CHINA

INDIAPHILIPPINE

ISLANDSWest Indies

East Indies

Cape ofGood Hope

Strait of Magellan

AUSTRALIA

NORTHAMERICA

Magellan

Drake

Coronado

Vespucci

ColumbusVerrazano

HudsonCabot

La Salle

De Soto

Cortés

Pizarro DiasDaG

ama

Cabral

Da Gama

Cabral

DrakeMagellan

ATLANTICOCEAN

INDIANOCEAN

PACIFICOCEAN

PACIFICOCEAN

120°W

60°N

30°N

30°S

60°S

0° Equator

60°W 0° 60°E 120°E 180°

0 2000

2000

4000miles

0 4000kilometers

PortugueseSpanishDutchEnglishFrench

European Voyages of Discovery

Test-Taking Tip: Use the map legend,or key, to help you understand how the map isorganized. How does this map show theroutes of different countries’ explorers?

Test-Taking Tip: Make sure that youdo not confuse the equator with the PrimeMeridian. Although both are indicated by 0°,the equator is a line of latitude, and the PrimeMeridian is a line of longitude. Do youremember which is which?

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